Recent Posts by Nicolas Fieldhouse

Poorly Maintained Gas System on a Yacht

The vessel used to be fitted with a gas-powered cabin heater, but the heater unit had been removed at some time in the vessel's life. The gas supply pipe had been partially removed, but only up to the nearby isolation valve. The valve was then held in the closed position by a short length of steel wire.
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Survey of a Westerly Fulmar

The pre-purchase survey of this 1987 Westerly Fulmar 32 recently took place in Gosport, Hampshire, with the vessel ashore for the majority of the survey. The boat yard wouldn’t allow me to run the engine whilst the boat was in her cradle, so once the boat had been lifted into the water, I returned on…
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Check the bow roller for cracks

[caption id="attachment_416" align="alignnone" width="722"] Cracks in Forestay Chain Plate Fabrication[/caption] The damage of the bow roller shown in the photograph above was found during an Insurance Survey of a 1976 Westerly Berwick, a British built, masthead rigged sailing yacht with cast iron bilge keels. During the inspection of the rigging chain plates it was found that there were…
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Water Trap in Gas Locker Drain

Thankfully I don't come across this defect very often. It is probably something that many owners would never notice as everything looks as though it is in good order. Having said this, the hose in this photo of a gas locker drain should be of the reinforced type. Also, two hose clips should be used…
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Perished Fuel Filler Cap Seal

Diesel or Petrol fuel filler caps are often located on an exposed area of horizontal deck or cockpit floor, particularly on sailing yachts. I recently performed a pre-purchase survey on a Nauticat Pilothouse Ketch, located at Woolverstone Marina, Ipswich. The image below shows the perished Fuel Filler Cap Seal of the starboard fuel tank of this motor-sailer. Note that…
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Pre-purchase Survey of Greenline 40 Yacht

This 2013 Greenline Yachts 40' was surveyed over a two day period. The first day of the pre-purchase survey included a sea trial in Chichester Harbour and The Solent. The second day was spent at Birdham Pool Marina, with the vessel lifted ashore. Although the boat was only five years old, there was still as…
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Pre-purchase Survey of Hallberg Rassy 49

Introduction to the Hallberg Rassy 49, designed by Enderlein & Rassy This cutter rigged Hallberg Rassy 49 was designed by Olle Enderlein & Christoph Rassy and built in 1989. A superb boat for long distance cruising, with lots of stowage space and long range capability. The classic flush teak-laid deck is uncluttered and the stow away cutter…
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